The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has topped the UK box office on its debut weekend on release.

The Peter Jackson-helmed fantasy epic, starring Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen, takes in Â£11.6 million to secure first place in the chart. The Hobbit had debuted to the fifth-biggest opening of 2012, falling behind Skyfall, Breaking Dawn - Part 2, The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers.

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The Hobbit's total places it just above the opening earnings for Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, which took Â£11.06 million in 2001. The Two Towers grossed Â£13.06 million in 2002, while Return of the King made Â£15.02 million the following year.

Elsewhere, Rise of the Guardians drops to number two, Nativity 2 rises two spots to three, Skyfall occupies fourth spot and Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings rounds out the top five.

This Friday sees the release of Ang Lee's Life of Pi adaptation and musical comedy Pitch Perfect, both of which are expected to make a mark on the top ten.